A 54-year-old man has died after an assault on a tram in Schaerbeek, Brussels prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday, while the exact cause of death and any link to the violence remain under investigation.
The incident took place on 23 July at about 15:20 near Chaussée de Helmet. According to the first findings of the investigation, an altercation broke out on board the tram between a female passenger and a man.
The woman was allegedly assaulted during the dispute. Another passenger intervened to defend her and was also attacked. Police responded quickly and intercepted the suspect within minutes of the incident.
Both victims received medical treatment. The woman suffered several injuries that left her temporarily unfit for work.
The man, a 54-year-old resident of Evere, was taken to hospital in a critical condition. He has since died, the prosecutor’s office said.
Prosecutors said further inquiries are under way to establish the circumstances of his death and whether there is a causal link between the assault and his death.
The public prosecutor referred the case to an investigating judge and requested the suspect’s detention. The suspect has been charged with intentional assault and battery against a vulnerable person causing incapacity for work, and with intentional assault and battery causing incapacity for work.
He has been remanded in custody. The investigating judge has also appointed a psychiatric expert to examine him.
The investigation is continuing to determine exactly how the events unfolded. The Brussels prosecutor’s office said any form of violence in public spaces would be met with the strongest judicial response and that no further comment would be made at this stage in the interest of the inquiry.
